This historic Silicon Valley estate – 74 acres, 7 homes, gardens – yours for $135M
Historic Green Gables — a serene and ultra-private 74-acre estate in the heart of Silicon Valley with seven private residences among meticulously landscaped gardens — is for sale for $135 million.
In 1911, Mortimer Fleishhacker — a lumber, paper, banking and hydroelectric power entrepreneur who co-founded the Great Western Power Company — created the stunning estate and its renowned gardens on land that is now part of the exclusive Bay Area enclave of Woodside.
The land, located 10 minutes from Palo Alto and Stanford University, is “ideal either as a family compound with its seven separate residences, or as an exclusive corporate retreat,” according to a news release on the listing.
The estate, believed to be the largest tract of privately-owned land for sale in Woodside, comes ready with on-site recreation opportunities. Among the many assets of Green Gables are a historic mansion designed by the Craftsman-era architects Charles and Henry Greene, a majestic Roman pool and tea house, three swimming pools, an ornate edible garden, tennis court and an artist’s studio that was once used by matriarch Bella Gerstle Fleishhacker.
“The undisputed lodestar in luxury real estate is, of course, location,” Dan Conn, CEO of Christie’s International Real Estate, said in a news release. “Green Gables offers a prime expanse of land rivaled by few in the area.”
This estate is co-listed by Compass and Christie’s International Real Estate.
The property, purchased six generations ago, has been held by the same family, the Fleishhackers, Conn said.
“The family has carefully protected and maintained this grand estate ever since, which presents an increasingly rare opportunity to acquire an abundance of land and extended family living spaces in Woodside, Silicon Valley’s wealthiest ZIP code,” he added.
In 2018, the Fleishhacker descendants listed the compound without a price, according to the Wall Street Journal. The family believed the offers that came in were too low, so now they’ve officially listed the home for $135 million, according to Bloomberg.
In all, Green Gables offers 32 bedrooms across its numerous residences.
Here’s a summary of some of the property’s amenities, according to the news release:
- A 60-by-300-foot Roman pool with an aqueduct-like stone edifice located in a copse of old-growth trees. “This hidden treasure is revealed at the steep edge of a terrace 65 feet above, and accessed by dual grand and gently curving stone staircases edging a garden of succulents.”
- A two-story tea house in a rustic stone building with “a meditative loggia above and kitchen below.”
- An expansive lily pond, “which captures breathtaking reflections of both the grand main residence and heritage pines against an enduring Western mountain backdrop.”
- A free-form pool, which is believed to be the first in the state, if not the country. “The design is the result of the owners’ insistence that no trees be felled to construct a pool that would have otherwise exhibited a more conventional design.”
- World-renowned gardens, orchards, an olive grove, vegetable and cutting flower gardens “and an allée of trees with its canopy shading a walking path.” The family matriarch had a passion for gardening.
- In addition to the seven residences, there’s an artist’s studio, and a barn structure adaptable for equestrian use.
- Designation as a wine appellation with an abundance of water.
- A 50,000-square-foot reservoir sourced by an underground spring and winter runoff that irrigates 90% of the estate’s gardens. The estate also includes the rights to the nearby Kings Mountain watershed, complete with easement and deed for use of up to 30 million gallons of water per year.
This story was originally published February 26, 2021 at 10:49 AM.
